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Shackles
The morning light shone into Mikado’s eye like an arrow. The giant canvas called the sky showed barely any white giant dots. In half of a daze, Mikado finished his preparations for school, left the Kitamikado residence, and squinched his eyes together in the daylight. He stepped into the black car driving him to school, reminiscing about what happened the day prior, pondering if this had really happened or not.
He had no confidence in that. Maybe it had all been a plan of Kisa’s? Then again, could she have been able to show such a genuine expression? Most likely, that Kisa had been the real one. If the Kisa Mikado had known a few years back would have grown up outside the Nanjou Family, she might have become an innocent girl she had been yesterday. That begged the question…what is that normal Kisa?
Inside the car, which currently drove over the highway, Mikado was racing thoughts like these, as he gazed outside the side mirror, spotting a mysterious presence. A gray Sedan, with smoked glass. Normally, there would be nothing ominous about this. However, Mikado had kept an eye on them, as they had been behind them ever since Mikado’s car drove out onto the street. On top of that, they weren’t exactly behind them, but kept a solid 3-car distance between them. The average distance you would keep to not make your target suspicious.
Any normal person would certainly not pick up on this, but Mikado had been schooled to be careful and wary of things as this. He called out to his driver in a quiet voice.
“…Behind us. We’re being tailed.”
“…Yes.”
The driver themselves had picked up on this as well. He acted calmly still, as his hands grabbed the steering wheel. Holding the duty of safely transporting the future guiding light of Japan, they were trained to the utter limit. Spotting any possible followers, they possessed the moral to protect Mikado at all costs, even if it would cost them their life.
“Four cars behind us, the black Sedan. Clicking anything?” Mikado asked.
“First time. Shake them off? Or would you rather…”
A hard box slowly rose up from the floor of the car. What was revealed inside was a small-type shotgun. The impact and form of the bullets had been specifically made, as you could deal with a threat right away without having to call the police.
“No, as long as they don’t attack us, there is no need to fight back. We don’t even know their goal yet.”
“Understood.”
With the answer of the driver, the box was lowered once again. Mikado assumed the one to tail them was probably Kisa anyway, but for what reason? Wondering about this, Mikado eventually arrived at Sousei Academy, and made his way through the entrance. Right there, he ran into Kisa.
“Hya?! M-Mikado?!”
Kis had one leg in her air like a flamingo, putting on her shoes, only to fall over in shock at Mikado’s appearance. Following this motion was a loud banging sound, together with a groan.
“Kisa?! You okay?!”
Mikado came rushing to Kisa’s side, and yet she panicky rushed backwards, her face blushing furiously.
“O-O-O-Of course I’m fine! I’m the woman to control the darkness in Japan, someone who would even deceive a crying child! So why would I start crying at something like this! Don’t act so close all of a sudden! Don’t think you can do whatever you want with me just because we went on one date togethmguh—”
Mikado hurried to close her mouth with the palm of his hand.
“Mghh! Mghhugh!”
“Calm down! People will hear you!”
Mikado tried to warn Kisa, but she kept panicking, not listening to him at all. She even scratched his hand like a cat would. Naturally, the students around them already heard most of what they had to.
“No way…did you hear that?”
“Kitamikado-san went on a date with Nanjou-san…?”
“All-night long…?”
“I could have never imagined that Kitamikado-kun would become a father so soon!”
“Apparently, he already has grandchildren!”
“No way, impossible! A high school student can’t have grandchildren!”
The students were already creating awful rumours. No, less than rumours, they were just wild fantasies. Kisa picked up on this, as her expression turned pale. She fixed her wrinkled skirt, slamming her fist on the shoebox. A loud bang resounded, something you wouldn’t expect from her slender arm. This had the students freeze up. Kisa looked around them, speaking up with a cold tone.
“You all didn’t see anything, you didn’t hear anything…Did I make myself clear?”
“Roger!!”
The students’ voices overlapped, as they scattered. Even the students who had just walked into the entrance saw this scene, and turned around to walk back onto the courtyard. Boys and girls alike were scared of the successor of the Nanjou Family. Mikado realized just how lucky he was, being able to see her girly side. Yet, in a situation like this, he felt relief that she managed to stay in her Queen mode. Even though Mikado of all people shouldn’t be relieved at this.
At the same time, Kisa approached Mikado, whispering into his ear as she passed him.
“Fourth period, gym hall shed. I’ll be waiting.”
In the middle of PE. As the classmates were watching an ongoing match on the outdoor ground, Mikado secretly snuck away. With the keeper in the corner of his eye, he moved along behind the batter’s box. After checking that nobody had his eye on him, he entered the storage shed.
The atmosphere was drenched in age and dust in the air. Concrete floor, rope for tug of war, as well as other tools you would need during gym class, making you feel like this was a forbidden place to enter.
The Kitamikado Family would always act sober and honest, This was the first time Mikado had been slacking off during class. With the voices he heard from the outside, he was assaulted by a feeling of guilt. That being said, having been called out by Kisa of all people, he could not ignore it. It must be something very important, no doubt. It might be related to Mikado having been tailed this morning. On top of that, he had to eventually finish this love game, so he had to break this rule just this once.
Then, Mikado heard footsteps, as they stopped in front of the storage shed.
“Mikado…are you there?”
“Yeah.”
After a short confirmation, the door slowly opened.
—Will it be a blowing dart…or even a stun gun…
Mikado took his distance from the entrance, preparing himself for whatever attack might come at him. No doubting it, Kisa would try to immobilize Mikado immediately.
Said Kisa slowly entered through the gap of the door—only to jump right into Mikado#s arms.
“Wha…?!”
Immediately, he was assaulted by a soft sensation hitting his chest. With Kisa only wearing a short-sleeve t-shirt, and short pants, he could feel her skin almost directly. For a short moment, his body temperature shot up, as Mikado was left in confusion. Even though he knew he should separate, given the danger of possible close-range attacks, he couldn’t. The scent coming from the girl’s beauty hair glued the two together.
“What…are you doing…” Mikado forced out a husky voice.
Kisa separated her body, glancing up at him with a teasing gaze.
“Didn’t you call me to storage sheds before, during our middle school days? What were you thinking by then?”
“That’s…” Mikado didn’t know what to say.
He couldn’t tell her that he genuinely wanted to meet her. Then again, maybe Kisa had already caught on to this. Did she have the same goal with this meeting? Mikado was shaken between confusion and expectation.
“I totally thought you were going to talk about the tailing this morning.”
“Tailing?” Kisa blinked at him.
“You had us followed by your subordinates, right? I can’t think of anything else.”
“Why would I have to tail you? Wasn’t Kawaraya-san?” Kisa spoke, as she locked the storage shed door.
“No, she wouldn’t tail me with a car. She’d probably hide inside the trunk, or something similar.”
“That’s even worse!”
“True, but that’s how it is.”
Kokage was more of a solo player. Mikado had never seen someone from the Kokage Family tail someone else. Then, who was it who tailed him, and for what reason.
“…Who cares about that right now.”
Kisa once again rested her body against Mikado, her slender arms wrapping around his back. She buried her face in his chest, taking a deep breath.
“You suddenly have the scent of an adult, Mikado. How cheeky…But, I don’t dislike it.”
“H-Hey…” Mikado immediately felt his heartbeat accelerate heavily.
“Do you…hate this sort of thing…?”
“I…don’t…but…”
It was too bold, leaving Mikado helpless. Was this an attack in the love game? Or was this what she wished for herself? Mikado didn’t know, but before he could arrive at a conclusion, he embraced Kisa himself. As he put his hand gently on her head, Kisa’s shoulders shook ever so slightly. Repeating this process, she started snuggling up to Mikado even further, almost like a cat.
“You like being pat on the head…?”
“Mm…I like it…”
Inside the secluded, locked-off storage shed, the only thing that could be heard was their separate breathing. Kisa brought her body to Mikado, entangling her thighs with his legs. From the outside, you could hear the victorious screams of a team that just managed to score a goal. Yet, these sounds were awfully distant to Mikado. The sensation of Kisa’s skin on his, her limbs overflowing with youth, it sucked up all of his attention.
Although he hadn’t been confessed to, Mikado was aware of Kisa’s affection for him. At the same time, so was Kisa of Mikado’s affection for him. Even the guilt of sneaking away from class had all been blown away by enjoying his time with Kisa.
After they had tasted each other’s body for quite some time, they separated. The warmth inside their bodies that had built during this time hadn’t left, as Mikado felt a bit of sweat run down his cheek. Kisa took a step back on wobbly feet, supporting herself with a nearby hurdle to put her arm on.
“J-Just now…we were just hugging each other, no deeper meaning to it!”
“R-Right! There was nothing special about that!”
The two made up excuses like they had been accused of a crime. If there was no deeper meaning to it, then what was the reason for it? The two realized that, as the atmosphere grew awkward.
Mikado leaned his back against the wall, as Kisa followed suit, right next to him. Her cheeks were colored in a deep red, and seeing the lonely gaze of hers, Mikado had to suppress the urge of embracing her again. He wanted to know more about Kisa. That being said, giving in to this desire here would mark his defeat.
Kisa started fidgeting with her fingers.
“Um…Mikado? What are you doing this noon…?”
“Noon? Eating lunch, for starters.”
“I know that! I’m asking where you’re eating it…like, on the rooftop…you know?” Kisa had trouble bringing out the words she wanted to say.
“…You want to eat lunch, just the two of us?”
Kisa slowly nodded to Mikado’s question. Mikado wasn’t as unsophisticated to just attack her with a ‘Isn’t this a show of affection?’. Rather than caring about the game, he wanted to spend more time with Kisa.
“I don’t mind, but…I think it’s going to be pretty difficult for the two of us to remain unspotted.
If they went to the cafeteria, Mizuki and the others would spot them immediately.
“No need to worry about that. I will take good care of them…fufufu.”
“I’m even more worried now!”
“That makes sense, I have to properly explain it after all. In short, I will take responsibility, and have them suddenly vanish into nothingness!”
“Yeah, you better take responsibility.”
Kisa shrugged.
“It’s fine, they won’t die. All of the students will just suddenly vanish, nothing more.”
“That’s almost like an unnatural phenomenon.”
“It isn’t. I will make them disappear with the power of science!”
“Don’t misuse the innocent laws of science for your misdeeds…”
Mikado didn’t even want to imagine what she was planning. At the same time, he yet again realized that he couldn’t leave Kisa unsupervised. In order to protect the peace at the school, as well as the future of Japan.
“I’ll do something about the location. Leave it to me.”
“Okay, I will do that.” Kisa smiled.
Seeing this, Mikado once again grew nervous, but for a different reason. Knowing that the person he loved trusted him this much, he felt happy.
“Also, I’d like to visit the cat cafe again…in the near future.”
“You took a liking to the cats?”
“Not at all. Seeing you spoil them just made me angry.”
“Again with that…”
“But, I don’t hate spending time there. I like seeing your cowardly expression.”
“I don’t think I looked that much like a coward…But, sure, let’s go.”
It was your average, sweet student time. If possible, Mikado wished for this time to continue forever. And, once the conclusion of the love game would arrive, that wish of his would be granted.
Then, some ringing sound came from Kisa’s pants.
“Hm? What?”
“An incoming call from the communication device. It’s to allow me to take a call even when I can’t use my smartphone. It would be just in the way if I wanted to shoot Mikado.”
“Don’t just shoot other people.”
“Understood, I’ll warn you beforehand.”
“That doesn’t make it any better!”
Kisa took out the device from her pants. The lamp on its body was blinking with a red color. She put on the switch, and responded.
“What happened? I’d rather not be bothered right now.”
What came from the device was the commander of the private squad of Kisa, Sigma.
「A word from Sai-sama. You are to hurry back to the residence right away. She has something important to talk about」
“I won’t. I’m busy right now, and I planned on eating lunch with Mikado later. After that, we’ll visit the shopping district.”
「You sex-craved maniac! Don’t go acting like a normal girl now! I know that you’re going crazy about this shitty Kitamikado brat, but—」
“Waaaah?! Sigma?!”
Kisa frantically covered the device with both her palms. With this, Sigma seemed to have grasped the situation.
「Ah…Um…is that shitty Kitamikado brat with you right now?」
“He sure is!”
「I thought it sounded awfully muffled…Are you in a secret meeting with him?」
“I-It’s not a secret meeting! We just snuck away from class to meet!”
Naturally, this was the perfect example of a secret meeting.
「Sorry! I didn’t think you’d have that much courage in you, and I didn’t expect to reach you right before the act!」
“We’re not right before the act!”
「In the middle?!」
“Not in the middle either!”
「So you already did…how much you’ve grown, Kisa-sama…」
“I see you’ve decided to throw away your life…” Kisa’s face was burning beet red, barely holding herself back from squashing the device in her fingers.
Even Mikado felt embarrassed, just listening to it on the side.
「Anyway…I feel bad for interrupting you, but it’s a direct order from Sai-sama. A helicopter is heading your way, so get on it and come home」
“But…” Kisa looked up at Mikado.
She looked scared like a puppy, about to be left behind.
“It’s fine. We can meet up again.”
“R-Right…Yeah. Then, I’ll be right back.”
The sound of the helicopter approaching them resounded in Mikado’s ears, and Kisa reluctantly stepped out of the storage shed.
Having arrived home, Kisa immediately made her way to the office of the family’s head, Sai. In the Nanjou Family, Sai was the upper echelon, the one giving the orders. Even if you were her grandchild, she would not refrain from making you suffer. Especially with the situation between her and Mikado getting iffy, she’d rather not take any risks.
“Grandmother, it’s Kisa.”
Kisa knocked on the door, announcing her arrival. After waiting for a short while, no response came, so Kisa decided to check inside. Sai was not present. Though this might make it seem like the family head’s room was unguarded, there were countless monitors around, monitoring it 24/7, saving data on the people who entered, even recording vital signs. If you acted carelessly, it would come back to haunt you.
Knowing this fully well, Kisa sat down on the only chair allowed for a visitor to use, calmly waiting for the head to arrive. Back when she had been younger, she would play around in the room like Mizuki still would, but now things were different. The seat of the family’s head was luxurious, equipped with comfortable-looking leather, whereas the seat for the visitor was cold, and iron. Sharing glares with the tiger stuffing at the wall, it felt like you were called by the demon of the demon world.
—Grandmother sure is late…
Out of boredom, Kisa looked around. Several expensive-looking sculptures filled the room, together with giant pictures. The bookshelves were stuffed with documents, as Kisa spotted something in between. Most likely a document out of place.
—What is this?
Kisa couldn’t help but become interested. It gave her no reason to, yet her chest urged her to. A sixth sense was telling her to confirm it for herself. That being said, that could be a trap as well. Inside the stuffing of the tiger, in its eyes more accurately, were hidden cameras, observing the inside of the room. The surveillance room was located beneath the residence, and nobody knew who was even acting as the observer. That being said, Kisa had received some information from Kokage. Knowing about the Nanjou Family’s security even, the research skill of Kokage couldn’t be underestimated. She had to make sure to eventually get her as a member soon.
As Kisa slightly turned the tips of her fingers, she observed the eye sockets of the stuffed tiger. Having caught the woman that took care of the security in this room, this acted as the sign to ‘Remove their vision’. Together with a quiet electronic sound, the eyeballs moved, away from Kisa. So that the change in vitals of Kisa couldn’t be perceived, she jumped up on the nearby desk, as the floor was filled with touch sensors, tailing the path of the visitor. Following that, she moved over to the nearby miniature table.
Sitting on there, she took off her shoes and tights, moving towards the bookshelf with her bare legs, grabbing the paper in between her toes, carefully pulling it towards her. She was a bit worried because of the alarm sensors on the bookshelves, but sadly none of that started ringing. That allowed Kisa to check what this piece of paper was about.
It was an old picture that had lost color already. Observing the boy and girl in this picture, Kisa almost let out a voice of surprise.
—Mikado and I?! Why would Grandmother have something like that?!
The two were cuddling intimately. Behind them was a clock tower made out of bricks. Mikado and Kisa had their shoulders against the other, as Kisa even clung to his arm in bliss. It was a wonderful scenery, and yet something was off.
Kisa had no memory of ever visiting this place. The two in the picture looked a bit older than Kisa and Mikado were as well, and the clothes they wore were a bit outdated from today’s fashion.
—Who…are these two? Why do they look exactly like Mikado and I…?
Kisa’s hand, holding the picture, shook. She felt a sense of discomfort, as an urge started to dwell up inside her body, telling her to find out what this picture was about right away. Kisa took out her smartphone, directing the camera at the picture. If possible, she would have conducted a proper scan, but this was no time to take choices. She had to save this data as quickly as possible to analyze it later.
Then, footsteps approached the room.
—Grandmother!
Kisa quickly pushed the picture back between the books. She kicked off the bookshelf, to fly over the desk, landing on the chair.
“What are you doing? I heard some awfully loud sound from here.”
Having barely entered the room, Sai immediately spoke to Kisa.
“…There was just a small insect.” Kisa returned with a calm expression.
Her heart was beating like crazy in comparison to her straight face. She had put on her shoes on her bare feet, hiding the tights inside her hand.
“Rather than that, what did you call me here for? Forcing me to come home from school early.”
“The numerical five are coming over. They want to question you—about the case with the young Kitamikado kid.” Sai narrowed her eyes.
The Nanjou Family’s numerical five.
Though only acting as branches of the Nanjou Family, they are still direct descendants, and together with the five big families that were reigned by the five heads, the Nanjou Clan existed as a whole. Each governed one factor of the Nanjou main family’s resources, such as finances, circulation, manufacturing, research, and human affairs, thus holding exceptional influence in the family. Naturally, though they spoke of finances and research, they were not the normal type that could be revealed openly. All of this happened in the underground scene of Japan, governed by these.
And now, they were waiting for Kisa’s arrival. They were all schooled elders, having made it through the various battlefields life had thrown at them. If they moved but a single finger, one’s entire existence would be erased. And now, each and every single one of them glared at Kisa with a cold expression.
“…Kisa-sama, what exactly is this about?”
One of the five spoke up with a deep voice.
“What exactly might you be referring to?” Kisa returned the question.
Inside, she started sweating buckets, but she could not allow them to see through this. Although she was a direct descendant in the family, underestimating the numerical five would even be dangerous for her.
“Don’t play dumb. A nonsensical video had been sent to all of our residences. Judging from this video, Kisa-sama, and the young boy of the Kitamikado Family seem to be going out.”
“…?!” Kisa’s body froze up entirely.
It was the same footage that was sent to Mikado’s and Kisa’s phones before. Thinking about it, they had just assumed that only the two had received this footage.
“I have no idea what kind of video this is…but you just take it as pure gold? Have you never heard of artificially created videos?”
“We already checked that it hasn’t been altered in any way. Your excuses won’t work.”
The numerical five all looked at Kisa in scorn. Kisa was still confused about the reason as to why she, Mikado, and even the numerical five had been sent this footage. However, there was a high chance that it wasn’t good-will. Rather, to break the current situation apart, breaking them in between. Someone from the Nanjou Family who held grudges, or another unrelated group that wished to create favors by the Nanjou clan. Maybe it even was someone from the numerical five, seeking to gain more influence by overthrowing Kisa.
Kisa ran her gaze over the faces of the people present, but as expected, nothing came to light. Even these old folks showed no opening whatsoever.
“Loving one another with the Kitamikado Family’s successor! Are you even aware of your role, Kisa-sam?!”
“W-We’re not loving each other! Not in the slightest, no!” Kisa tried to throw in a rebuttal, but her cheeks were already burning red.
“It’s not just the video! According to the information we dug up, you had already kissed the successor of the Kitamikado Family…?”
“It was only on the forehead!”
“Forehead…?”
“Ah…”
Out of embarrassment, Kisa wasn’t able to keep her mouth shut. Kisa was already weak when it came to talking about love, but being put in front of people like this, it came naturally that she would lose her mind. The numerical five all sighed in unison.
“We knew that you had been in direct contact with this boy for a while now, but we thought that was mere child’s play.”
“A while…since when?”
“Around ten years ago. Did you think nobody saw you as snuck away from the parties?”
“Ugh…” Kisa faltered.
Then, the times they were playing chess, or chatted in the secret storage sheds, they had all been found out.
“That being said, from how we saw it, you had fallen head over heels for the lad.”
“I didn’t fall for him—!!!!” Kisa screamed in rebuttal.
The numerical five saw this, and turned to Sai.
“In order to preserve the future of the Nanjou Family, we cannot turn a blind eye to this. So that we can minimize her contact with the young Kitamikado lad, I advise that we have Kisa-sama locked inside the residence.”
Kisa slammed her hands on the table, jumping up.
“Huh?! You’re going to lock me up?! Are you even aware of what you are doing?! If you turn me into your enemy, you won’t have a future in the Nanjou Family you want to protect! Additionally, there is no way Grandmother would—”
“This time around, it can’t be helped.”
“Grandmother?!”
Sai nodded, leaving Kisa in disarray.
“I told you. I didn’t mind pulling the game in order to overthrow the Kitamikado Family, but you could not fall for him under any costs.”
“T-That is true, but…I didn’t fall for him! I’m just slightly interested…H-He…Mikado loves me…” Kisa stuttered, trying to make a point.
“You don’t even know yourself…You’ve already become the brat’s woman.”
“Mikado’s…woman…”
These words reverberated inside Kisa’s head, as her cheeks burned up, spacing out. Kisa knew just how much she had fallen for Mikado. If not, she hadn’t even started the love game in the first place. She wanted Mikado badly, she couldn’t help it. She was ready to use whatever method she wanted. Sai rang the bell on her desk.
“For now, go cool your head inside the residence. Let’s see, if you say here for maybe ten years, you’ll forget about that brat, and become a proper Empress of Darkness.”
“Ten years?!”
If she were to stay away from Mikado for such a long time, he would be taken by another girl. Even more than that, she wouldn’t be able bear being apart from Mikado for such a long time.
Kisa tried to escape from the meeting room, but the private squad of the Nanjou Family had already arrived to cut off her escape route. She tried fighting her way through with the weapon from her skirt, but was overwhelmed by the anesthesia bullets, pressed on the ground. Almost as if to calm a wild beast, they pressed the needle with sedative into her neck.
“You…all…I remember your faces…I will definitely…kill you all…”
As Kisa spit curses, Sai looked down at her in disgust.
“Naturally, I’ll have them escape out of your reach before you rise to power. If not, nobody would have dared to oppose you.”
“I won’t allow you…to escape…You will pay for getting between Mikado and I…”
“Yeah yeah. I have to deal with that brat as well. Can’t have him go between my plans anymore.”
Hearing these words, Kisa felt like her entrails were ripped straight out of her stomach.
“W-Wait…Grandmother…not Mikado…” Kisa tried grabbing hold of Sai’s leg, but unable to keep her consciousness from fading away.
With the french-feel carpet on the ground, an elegant bed had been equipped inside the western-styled room. Elegant golden carvings on the side of the bed, with velvet bedding. Even the chest and dresser were high class, worthy of the Princess of Darkness. That being said, Kisa’s wrists were restrained with chains, connected to the bed. Because she tried to break free forcefully, red wounds and circles were shown around that area.
Ever single weapon she had hid had been confiscated, as well as cutting off any possible communication with the outside world. On top of that, the heavy iron door was locked from the outside. Surveillance cameras had been set up on the ceiling, guards positioned across the door.
The head of the family was erious. Every single measure had been taken to not allow Kisa any means of escaping. This was like a room for locking up criminals during the Edo period. Left with no means of resisting, Kisa laid sideways on the bed, blood dripping from her fist.
“Just…when I finally found out…”
Mikado felt the same way she did. Just a bit more, and they both could have been happy, but now another giant wall appeared between them. She knew that her wish wouldn’t be granted this easily. That the Kitamikado and Nanjou families were rivals since old. As long as this country would exist, their fight would continue. Met with this reality in front of her, Kisa felt the strength in her body vanish.
“Mikado…”
She wanted to see him. She wanted to vent out all her frustration, and burst out in tears in his arms. She wanted to venture off to a world where the rules of their families didn’t exist. In order to escape from this reality that would not even grant that, she closed her eyes, reminiscing about the time she spent with Mikado. How they were playing chess in their secret meetings, laughing heartily like children should. Back then, Kisa still did not have to accept her fate.
“We’re not going to play chess today?”
A secret hotel room, rented right above the party hall, Mikado sat across Kisa with a glass table between them, as he asked her. At the time, the two were barely 8 years old, only able to meet in secret at parties like this, enjoying the time without their families pressing against their backs. Kisa pouted, as she sat on the sofa.
“I can’t. My wrist and fingers hurt, I can’t help it.” She showed him her bandaged hand.
Her entire hand was covered, making her look like a mummy. Apparently, even the special medicine developed by a research lab under the wing of her family, the wound wouldn’t heal that easily.
“That looks awful…what happened?”
“They’re making me practice my shooting as of late. They said that as the successor of the family, I had to be able to defeat my enemies quickly.”
Mikado felt similar.
“I see…Recently, they keep telling me that ‘You have to be able to defeat a buffalo with your bare hands’, so they’re making me split rocks with my fists…Thanks to that, my hand is tingling everytime I take a bath.”
“It’s only tingling?! Normally, you’d break your hand if you tried that!”
“‘Suffering wounds in front of the enemy makes you a failure. No broken bones allowed’, said my father, so I won’t.”
“Even if they didn’t allow it, I doubt it can’t be helped in that…”
That being said, Kisa had already given up on trying to argue with the Kitamikado Family. Their principles made no sense whatsoever. And on top of that, Mikado would always defeat this challenge as well. Kisa could only sigh.
“Anyway, I’m not a monster like that, and because of the practice, I suffered from tenosynovitis, so I can’t even carry my bag.”
“Sounds tough…Can you go to school with a servant helping you?”
“Yes. It’s a lot of pain. That’s why, help me drink my tea.”
Kisa leaned over the table, shoving her face towards Mikado. The cup of black tea standing on the table still hadn’t cooled much.
Mikado felt his ears turn red at Kisa’s request.
“That should be doable, right…”
“Ahh, it hurts…My hand hurts so much~”
Kisa flapped her legs up and down, acting awfully. She would always enjoy seeing Mikado panic. Though he didn’t feel love towards her at that time, and he wasn’t conscious of her as a girl either, he still had a tickling feeling inside his chest.
“Can’t help it.”
“Ah, put milk and sugar in there, okay~”
“Yeah yeah.”
Mikado gave a half-hearted response, as he poured some milk into the tea. Dropping seven blocks of sugar in as well, he stirred it with a spoon. White blocks sunk deep into the green water. Getting excited knowing that Mikado was preparing this for her, Kisa watched this process enticed.
“Keep still, okay.”
“Mm.”
Mikado picked up the cup, carefully putting it to Kisa’s lips, making sure that he wouldn’t pour it anywhere else. Kisa felt her heart beat faster at this thrill, thoroughly tasting the tea. It felt like she had turned into Mikado’s pet, being fed milk. It was warm, and sweet about to melt.
“You got some on your mouth.
“Fuwah…”
Mikado put down the cup, and ran his finger along the corner of her mouth.
“I-I’m fine now. Thank you…”
Kisa fell backwards onto the sofa, burying her face in a pillow. Though she didn’t know if it was because of the warm tea hitting it, or because Mikado’s finger felt hot, the side of her lips gave off a tingly sensation. Running her own fingers along there, they grew warm all the same.
“…I don’t want to practice shooting anymore. I don’t want to kill other people.” Kisa muttered.
For some reason, she could easily tell her enemy, Mikado, about those true feelings of hers.
“To think the successor of the Nanjou Family would be saying that.”
“I wasn’t born into this family because I wanted to. I wish I could have been born into a normal family…But, Grandmother said that I would take over the line…”
“But…what about your parents…?”
Mikado most likely wanted to ask if they had passed away. But, Kisa just snorted in arrogance.
“They’re alive. Just incompetent.”
“Should you really talk about your parents like that?”
“I can’t help it if they’re like that. They’re cowards, their lies are easy to see through, and they are looked down upon by their subordinates. Since Grandmother judged them to be not fit as the successors, they were sent to the rural landside to govern a small organization.”
“Sounds sad…”
“…Yup.”
Mikado really understands her. The family head Sai showed no restraint against Kisa and her lessons to become the successor, her parents were seeing her in a hostile light, not even trying to understand her. On top of that, all the people in the family and residence where she lived, they saw her as a superhuman being. Mikado was the only one who saw her as a normal girl, joining her point of view.
“I…want to run away. I don’t want to inherit this darkness.” Kisa sighed, as if to curse herself.
“…There might be…a beautiful darkness as well.”
“Eh.” Kisa slightly raised up her body.
“I don’t know if I should be the one to say this, belonging to the Kitamikado Family and all, but…many things nowadays can’t be taken care of by glossing it over. There are lots of things you can only do in darkness.”
“Things you can only do…in darkness…” Kisa repeated his words in a daze.
“Right. I protect the world in the shine of the sun at noon, while you protect the world at night. The Kitamikado Family will protect the world on the outside, while you protect the back. Isn’t that the real duty we have been given? If it’s you, if it’s the two of us, we can make Japan into an even better country.”
“Me…and you…So we’re playing a game of chess, fighting against a giant enemy together.”
“Yeah.”
Just by thinking about it, Kisa grew excited. There was no need to work hard on her own anymore. When she took ten steps south, Mikado took ten north1. Even if they were enemies on the outside, their feelings were one.
Kisa fixed her posture on the sofa, proudly declaring.
“Alright! I’ll become the bad guy then!”
“Nobody said anything about that…” Mikado was confused.
“I will. The greatest evil that will have you even shake in your shoes. And then, we’ll be able to play chess forever and ever. As we fight in this world’s light and darkness.”
The eight-year old Kisa blushed furiously, as she tightly shook Mikado’s hand.
After that, Kisa accepted her fate and duty, taking in as much practice and study as possible. As she got into it, using weapons and learning about them was unexpectedly interesting, and she understood that she was fit for it. Especially with the Nanjou Family, with the weapons they use, preferring judgment over physical ability, it felt like a strategic game.
“You’re a million years too early to oppose me!”
“Eeeek?!”
The bullet shot by Kisa’s gun set the gun of the boss trader flying off…Naturally that wasn’t the final touch, as she crushed his entire hand at the same time as a punishment. The same counted as their allies, as sprays of blood shot into the air.
This was a scenery for the 12-year old Kisa, during the winter, as she stood in a wide open storage shed at a port. Large containers around her, new-type submachine guns being stolen out of those. As Kisa stormed inside, one of these containers got ruined because of the impact. Not just the containers, the guards at the entrance, they were all suffering from the impact, coughing up blood as they collapsed.
Kisa pressed the muzzle of the gun onto the back of the leader’s head.
“Now, I’m willing to hear your excuses. Where were you planning on shipping this? Weren’t you informed that all future gun traffic will now go through the Nanjou Family?”
“E-Even if you say that, I can’t correspond quickly enough. We’ve worked alone for a long time, and we have to be careful that the divisions under us don’t steal our profits, so…”
“No excuses!”
“You just said you’d hear me out thougyaaaa?!”
Kisa stepped on the head of the leader with the sole of her shoe, as his nose was pressed against the ground. With blood dripping down from his nose, the leader screamed.
“P-Please! Forgive me! I will not go against your orders a second time, Kisa-sama! I will give you half of the profit! So please, at least spare my life!”
“We didn’t expect any high payment from this in the first place. All I said was to use the Nanjou Family’s trading system in the future. Pay the normal use fee, that’s all.”
“Everyone couldn’t believe that this was all. How would you profit from this, they wondered.”
“I see…”
—That’s where the wind blew from, huh.
In order to lower any possible rebellion of the arms dealers, she tried giving them conditions that didn’t put much bother on them, but it didn’t take root quickly enough. Kisa wondered as to why that happened, but in the end, it was probably because the people living in the world of shadows most likely reacted more negative and wary to good-will than to oppression. That being said, she couldn’t tell them of her real goal.
By regulating the arms dealing system under the Nanjou Family, she could control the flow of weapons, creating less possible victims in the normal society, standing in the light that Mikado would control. If she were to speak of her plans, she would be regarded as crazy. That’s why she had to cover it up somehow.
“…This is an experiment.”
“Experiment…?”
“Yes. An experiment to control circulation in Japan…No, the economy as a whole. This is just fodder for the AI planning we’re working on.”
“H-How could this happen…The Nanjou Family’s fearful politics are going to swallow up Japan…”
Kisa slammed the head of the leader on the ground, rendering him completely useless. The other ruffians around were watching this scene in fear, unable to move an inch. Suddenly, a young girl jumped between the scene of terror, like a small rabbit traversing the green forest.
“Onee-chan, you’re so cool!”
Nanjou Mizuki, currently nine years old. Her mental age wasn’t that far off from what it is right now.
“Mizuki! Since when were you around?! I told you not to follow me on my work!”
“I didn’t follow you! I came here with you!”
“The second I didn’t realize you were around, you didn’t exactly ‘Come with me’!”
“Then I came here clinging to you!”
“Scary!”
Mizuki looked up at Kisa, her eyes sparkling in admiration.
“You went bang bang bang and defeated all of them, almost like Mephisto from Evil Mayfly! That must have been a 20-hit combo! I can already see the two million points high score!”
“I have no idea what you’re trying to tell me…But, I guess you’re right, I am a genius after all!”
“Onee-chan is a genius! A super assassin! You threw away your femininity!”
“You’re not praising me at all, are you?!”
“Kyaaa, I’ll be killed by Onee-chan!” Mizuki jumped up in joy, like a small puppy getting attention from its owner.
To be completely honest, Kisa wasn’t that much of a genius at all. Because she had Mikado she could work towards, wanting to stand on evil grounds, she worked hard to develop these skills. And, as time passed, she started to feel comfortable standing in places like these. She felt the blood of the Empress of Darkness inside of her.
—The Nanjou Family and Kitamikado Family cannot stand on equal grounds.
She understood that. She knew that Mikado had a fiance called Rinka, even back then. Back when she heard about this, she hoped it to be a lie, as she felt like her chest was stabbed with a knife. Yet, Kisa told herself that the bounds Mikado and her shared were much greater than with any fake wife like that. She accepted this fact, and worked more.
She should have accepted this, and yet.
“Eh……..…That’s a lie, right…”
When she became a high school student, Kisa received information from Sigma, about to let her phone drop in shock. She lost strength in her knees, as she sunk to the ground.
「It’s not a lie. The marriage talks between the two families have started to get serious. They apparently want to finish the details next year, as they’re in the middle of exchanging conditions and such」
“………”
Kisa grit her teeth. It hurt. Her heart was about to burst from the pain. She should have known that, the two being fiances, things would eventually end up like that…But, it was still unbearable. Her chest was tightening up enough for her to find trouble breathing.
「Kisa-sama? What happened?」
Sigma’s voice over the phone sounded so distant, as her sense of reality was crumbling down.
“I see…I was wrong this entire time…”
Bearing the pain, Kisa finally spoke of her true feelings. She didn’t want to see the same future as Mikado. She wanted to see that future together with him. She wanted to create this future together with him.
But, at this rate, everything would vanish. Having been stained in the darkness of the Nanjou Family, Kisa would become Mikado’s enemy, whereas Rinka would act as the support for Mikado.
That world was not allowed to happen. It was unforgivable.
That’s why Kisa transferred to Sousei Academy, and set up the love game with Mikado. Even if she had to rob him off his future,as long as the two could stay together.
Yet, looking at her current situation, enchained on the bed, Kisa realized that this all had been in vain. Her feelings for Mikado had been found out by the head of the family, as well as the numerical five, prohibiting her to continue the love game. Naturally, looking at the risks, that decision came as explainable.
Not to mention that now even Mikado was in danger. Now that Sai had decided to move, she would not stop until all adversaries were out cold. Yet, Kisa was forced to accept this reality, unable to tell Mikado of the impending danger.
“Mikado…Mikado…” Kisa buried her face, into the sheets, wailing.
Then and there, she heard the sound of the door opening. Kisa twitched. Dinner time was still far off, and they would be using the small entrance for the food, instead of the door. But then, why? To question her? Maybe she would be taken somewhere. To ensure that she would never be able to see Mikado again. No matter who it was, if she was sedated again, she couldn’t even resist. So Kisa picked up the blanket near to her, covering her body with it. If it was someone from the family’s private squad, she could try overwhelming them, and escape, but all she had around her was a spoon.
The one who appeared in front of her was Mizuki.
“Yaho~ Onee-chan, you doing fine?”
She slowly made her way towards Kisa, waving with no problem in the world.
“As if I was…What about the guards outside?”
“Ehhh? I had them eat lunch~ You know, I’m pretty close with them. If I ask them, they’ll listen to my requests~” Mizuki put one finger on her cheek, tilting her head with a smile.
Kisa once again realized that she couldn’t let down her guard against her. Mizuki managed to manipulate the private squad of the family, that even Kisa with equal influence to the head of the family couldn’t manage. She might have already overthrown Kisa in the shadows, controlling Sigma as well. All of this might have just been set up by this very Mizuki, who continued to approach Kisa with a carefree expression.
“Oh? Onee-chan, you were crying?”
“………”
“It’s been so long since I saw you cry! That’s like super rare! SSR!” Mizuki swiftly took a picture. But, seeing that Kisa didn’t utter a word, she quickly stopped.
“Woah…Onee-chan is not saying anything…Kya?!”
Right as Mizuki was about to sit on the rim of the bed, Kisa used that opening to jump at her like a wild beast, pushing Mizuki down. She tightly grasped both her hands, sitting on her. Mizuki’s smartphone fell off to the side of the bed.
“Onee-chan…? I’m not sure about two girls doing such a thing…”
“Stop fooling around.”
Kisa brought her face closer, glaring down at Mizuki, as a deep, resentful voice came out of her mouth.
“You did it, right. Sending Mikado and me that footage, as well as the numerical five, and the reason Grandmother moved. Everything, all of it, because you couldn’t take my relationship with Mikado, to steal everything from me. The person I love the most, my family, my life.” Kisa spit cold words at Mizuki, as she put both her hands around her neck. “I won’t forgive you…Not for stealing away Mikado…I just wanted to become happy with the person I love…You could have taken the family for all I care…so why couldn’t leave me alone…”
It was a curse. Not just towards Mizuki herself, but towards the fate that forced the two to be born into such a situation, and towards the unreasonability of this world. Yet, towards her older sister, wailing in tears as she was about to be killed by her, Mizuki—
“It’s fine, Onee-chan.”
Whispering these words, she embraced Kisa’s body.
“W-What…” Kisa was bewildered.
“I wouldn’t do something like that. I don’t know who did it, but I’d take a more interesting approach. Not a method that would make you suffer like this.”
“I don’t…believe you…Only you would have a merit from doing this…”
“I keep telling you. It’s true that I like Mikado-kun, but I love you just as much, Onee-chan.” Mizuki gently put her hand on Kisa’s head.
“……!”
With that soft sensation, Kisa felt like something was cut inside of her. The feeling of guilt for blaming her little sister didn’t stop. Being spoiled, and allowed to cry to her heart’s content, just being in her arms was unbelievably comforting. In order to become the darkness that Mikado needed, Kisa had lost her pure soul, yet always kept by Mizuki, her little sister. Mizuki had stayed like Kisa had been.
“I see, so rather than inheriting the family, Mikado-kun is more important~”
“I-Is there something wrong with that?”
“Nope, not at all! That’s what’s cute about Onee-chan!”
“Ugh…”
Having her cheek poked at by the teasing Mizuki, even Kisa felt embarrassed. That being said, she still had her pride as an older sister. Having lost her poisonous thinking, Kisa separated from Mizuki, who put one hand in her pocket.
“Tada~! Guess what this is~”
It showed a metallic radiance.
“A key…?”
“Correct~!”
Mizuki nodded with a beaming smile, as she removed the shackles from Kisa’s wrists. Even though Kisa had just regained her freedom, she was blinking at Mizuki in surprise.
“How did you even get the key…?”
“I asked the guards! Saying that I felt bad for you!”
“That easily…?”
“We’re friends after all! And, here’s your cash card. I thought you’d need some money when you’re on the run, so I prepared a bit!” Mizuki put the card into Kisa’s hand.
“How did you get into my room?!”
“The cleaning lady is my friend as well. I told her I wanted to play around in your room, so she let me in~”
“What about the lock on the safe…” Kisa shuddered with the card in hand.
Not only her card and money in general, other important things were supposed to stay hidden in that safe.
“I figured the number would probably be Mikado-kun’s birthday, and that’s what it was~” Mizuki narrowed her eyes, grinning.
“T-There’s no deeper meaning to it! Nobody would imagine that the successor of the Nanjou Family would make her password the birthday of the Kitamikado Family’s successor, so I assumed that was the safest!”
“Yes yes, let’s just leave it at that~ I guess that the love letter towards Mikado-kun inside had no deeper meaning either then. You wrote it, but were unable to hand it to him, right?”
“Erase that from your memory right away!!!”
Kisa jumped at Mizuki, who swiftly dodged. Unable to bear the embarrassment, Kisa wanted to strangle her little sister again. No matter how far she went, she was just like the younger Kisa. However, Kisa was unable to finish off Mizuki, giving up. She fixed her clothes, wiped away the blood on her wrists, and stuffed the card into her pocket. Feeling slightly awkward, she looked over at Mizuki.
“Then…um…”
“Yup, have a safe trip. You were the first to fall in love with Mikado-kun, so I’ll give you his first kiss~”
“Fuha?! I-It’s not like I…” Kisa waved with her hands.
Mizuki brought her face closer to Kisa, showing a teasing smile.
“Ohh? So you don’t want that? Guess I’ll take it then~?”
“I-It’s not like I don’t want it…I…do…” Kisa tried to suppress her face from blushing furiously, muttering in a quiet voice.
She tried her hardest to get out the words, yet Mizuki only saw this as a chance to tease her even more.
“Huh? I can’t hear you~”
“Mikado’s first kiss belongs to me!” Kisa screamed at the top of her lungs.
Because the positions were mostly reversed, Kisa felt frustrated at this situation. That being said, she couldn’t stay angry at Mizuki, as she was the one who saved her.
“…What do I need to repay you for this…” Kisa asked hesitatingly.
“Since I can’t have his first kiss, I want to take Mikado’s virginity instead~!”
“T-That’s…”
The difference in value was too great.
“It’s fine, I’m not asking to do it right in front of you. I just want you to keep me alive and don’t kill me in case it comes to that~”
“Ugh…O-Okay…”
“Yay~ Love you, Onee-chan~” Mizuki embraced Kisa without restraint.
Kisa grew worried that she had gotten into debt to a highly dangerous girl.
At the same time, Mikado.
In the dead center of the town, he had to deal with an attack from a mysterious armed force. Kisa hadn’t come to school for a week now, so he was searching for information in the vicinity of the Nanjou Family’s residence. This force looked like normal citizens at first, but had clearly enough received special instructions and training. A car with lowered windows surrounded Mikado, as they shot at him the second he came in view.
Mikado swiftly ram his fist through a nearby window, picking up the fragments of the broken glass to burst the tires of the car, sending it right into a nearby shopping window, an explosion following shortly. Using the smoke as cover, Mikado ran down a back alley.
From the sky,a thick shadow flew over Mikado, creating wind pressure and a roaring sound. Looking up, a military helicopter had its machine gun directed down at him. Following that were missiles, obstructing Mikado’s route.
“They sure don’t hold back!”
Mikado jumped away from the impact zone, flying into a laundry shop. Keeping his body low, he evaded the incoming glass. Though fighting back was an option, but not wise. The identity of the enemy, the reason for this attack, were both unknown. Until he knew what was going on, Mikado was better off holding back. As he jumped back onto the main street, he saw a bus driving off.
Mikado hid his body in the shadows of nearby objects, entering the bus. He lowered the shade of the window, taking out his smartphone in order to request assistance. Before he could do so, he received a call of his own, coming from Kisa’s number.
“Kisa? What’s happening?”
Expecting that the attack originated from the Nanjou Family, he whispered quietly. However, it was not Kisa’s voice that greeted him.
「Kisa-sama was caught!」
Mikado felt his intestines freeze.
“…Who is this?”
「It’s Sigma. The commander of the Nanjou Family’s private squad…the woman who saved you on the deserted island, remember」
“Yeah. You helped out back then.”
Sigma spoke quickly.
「The head of the family managed to find out the relationship between you and Kisa-sama. It’s true that our squad is attacking you, but since I was on close terms with Kisa-sama, I was left out, unable to control them. At this rate, Kisa-sam is in danger」
“What do you mean?” Mikado asked in panic.
「There’s a high risk that this call is being tracked. I need to tell you in person, so come to the 2nd district, the church there. And hurry!」
“Ah, hold on—”
Mikado wasn’t allowed to ask any further questions, as the call had been cut already. Mikado knew of the place Sigma spoke about. He got off the bus, and hurried there while heading from the enemies attacks.
Though it was called a ‘Church’ with its giant cross on the outside, it was actually an art museum. Used equally as a wedding hall at times, Mikado had thought of using this location for his marriage with Kisa. Luckily, it was currently in renovation, with no people inside. Mikado finished his preparations, and waited on the first floor.
Standing in this place all alone, even though he wanted to come here with Kisa, gave him an odd feeling. Almost like he had appeared at a wedding without his bride, and that he wouldn’t be able to meet her anymore.
With no warning of sorts, a cost sensation hit the back of his neck.
“Game over, Prince. Your Princess will become our Queen.” Sigma’s cold voice arrived at Mikado’s ears.
Even without having to turn around, he could tell that the muzzle of a gun was pointed at his head.
“…Weren’t you supposed to be an ally of Kisa?”
“I am. Kisa-sama’s strategic knowledge, skill, and influence are remarkable. It’s clear that she will become the greatest Empress to date. That’s why we cannot allow her to meet you. Having her turn into a normal girl because of your seduction would go against everything we’ve worked for. We have to bring her back to the real Kisa-sama.”
“The real Kisa…It seems like you don’t even know the real her.”
“Don’t go talking so arrogant now. Do you know?”
“Naturally. The real her didn’t want to become this Empress of Darkness at all.”
“Spitting worthless lies like that won’t…?!”
Hearing a sound come from above, Sigma gazed up in confusion. The chandelier came soaring down at fearful speed. Mikado set this up beforehand, to have it fall after a certain time limit. He had felt Sigma’s killing intent, who had hid in the shadows, and prepared this.
Though Sigma managed to avoid that impact, Mikado wouldn’t miss this chance. He snuck around Sigma’s back, restraining her arms.
“Where is Kisa.”
“W-Who knows.”
“Spit it out. I have to meet Kisa at all costs.”
Mikado lifted up Sigma by the neck, as her bones were screaming in agony. Although she had been trained under the Nanjou Family, nobody could hope to win against a fully-trained Kitamikado man.
“I’m saying I don’t know! Kisa-sama ran away!”
“Ran away…?”
“That’s right! It should have been a perfect security, but Mizuki-sama’s people betrayed us! She just went ‘Sorry, I let her escape~’, not knowing where Kisa-sama went!” Sigma spit out words in rage.
“So she was inside the Nanjou Family’s residence right before that? Until when?”
“…She had been there this morning.”
Then, there was a high chance that Kisa could still be somewhere in the city. Maybe that was the reason why the private squad kept chasing after Mikado like that, hoping to find Kisa along the way.
“I will thank you for the information. Once this case is over, I’ll treat you to some dinner. Your entire squad that is.”
Mikado took away any sort of weaponry Sigma had on her. Though she wasn’t on the level of Kisa, it was quite the formidable number, consisting of knives, grenades, and much more.
“You’re not going to kill me? If you leave me alive, I’ll definitely get in your way again.” Sigma spoke as if to provoke him.
“You are Kisa’s right hand. She’d be angry if I just killed you.”
Mikado tied up her arms and legs, putting her down on the floor, and quickly left the church. Now that this attack force assaulting him belonged to the Nanjou Family, he could not afford to call for assistance from his family. If the north and south started fighting for real, all hope of being able to stay with Kisa would forever be lost.
Running along the back alley, Mikado operated the terminal he stole from Sigma. There, the positions of all the squad members were shown, using the radar-like map. Though there was an option to call members of the squad, taking the risk to gather information now wasn’t worth it.
At the same time, some felt off as he looked at the screen. Around the shopping district, the amount of squad members was awfully low. Especially around the area of the train station, a wider space with nobody around stood out in his view.
—Is the number of squad members going down…?
It could have been a trap. That being said, the enemy shouldn’t anticipate Mikado to steal this map. Then, who was lessening their numbers? It was like a game of chess, as the pieces went down in number, inviting Mikado there with a confident snicker.
“…Kisa, huh.”
Mikado felt familiarity from this way of fighting. It perfectly overlapped with how Kisa played chess in their secluded rooms. Kisa should be able to take out these squad members, and steal one of these maps herself. Hence, if Mikado made his way to the center—
Half an hour later.
Mikado arrived at the cat cafe he and Kisa had visited before. Back when they met in the gym halls storage shed, Kisa said that she wanted to visit the cat cafe again. The reason the shopping district was empty of any squad members was most likely to make Mikado remember this fact. Just as expected, when Mikado arrived at the backside of the cafe, a single girl had been waiting there, wearing a hoodie with the hood on, a backpack on her back.
“Made you wait, huh.”
“Mikado…so you knew.”
The girl took off the hood, lifting her head. Wearing more sexy clothes most of the time to fit the mood, this kind of girlish look wasn’t half bad either, and probably the first time Mikado ahd seen this on her.
“Naturally…But, what were you planning on doing if I didn’t steal a terminal? I would have never found out.”
“I expected you to steal it. No matter in what pinch you were in, you would use everything at your disposal to create an advantage.” Kisa gazed at Mikado with trustful eyes.
With the games of chess they played, or this love game, they started to get a good grasp on what the other was thinking.
Feeling happy at this level of trust, Mikado gazed at the backpack. Just when he thought that she had stuffed all sorts of weapons in there, after taking a look at the opening, he spotted countless rolls of banknotes.
“That’s quite the sum.”
“What else could I have done? I only had one chance to get as much money as I could!”
“What about putting that on an online account?”
“I didn’t have the time for that! I had my fill just trying to run away from the residence! The squad members in the city were following me, and I was betrayed by Sigma…and I wanted to see you as quickly as possible.”
Kisa’s eyelids were red.
“…You were crying.”
“………!”
Mikado felt the desire to embrace Kisa, as she bit her lip in anguish. That being said, this wasn’t the time for it. Kisa took Mikado’s hand, looking up at him.
“Let’s run away, Mikado…Together.”
1 Since this hasn’t been referenced since volume 1 or something, a quick reminder. Kitamikado’s ‘Kita’ is written with the kanji for north, whereas the ‘Nan’ of Nanjou is written as south.
CClaw Translations 
Seven blocks of sugar!! Isn’t that a bit of an overkill?
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